Patients can help monitor dentists

Dear Dr. Reitz: Last month an oral surgeon from Tulsa, Okla., was accused of following improper sterilization procedures and using rusty surgical instruments, resulting in a patient being infected with hepatitis C and HIV. I have always assumed that health care in the U.S. was the best in the world, and although going to the dentist is never pleasant, I don't expect it to be life-threatening.

What measures are taken in Pennsylvania to protect dental patients, and how can I be certain my dentist is following proper procedures to safeguard my health? - Michelle, Shillington

Dear Michelle: In 1998 I had the privilege of being appointed to the Pennsylvania State Dental Board by Gov. Tom Ridge. While also working in private practice, I spent 12 years on the board, the last two years serving as chairman. Compared with most states, Pennsylvania has some of the most rigid requirements to ensure patient safety, some of which I helped to enact. Concerning putting patients to sleep under anesthesia, Pennsylvania established some of the first guidelines in the nation, requiring office inspections to verify compliance.

Rules and regulations can be written, but in everyday practice it requires a dedicated dentist to make sure the rules are being followed. Every dentist is taught to sterilize instruments in a heat/pressure autoclave. Yet for some unknown reason, the oral surgeon in Oklahoma decided to soak dental instruments in Clorox bleach. Every dentist also knows the needles used to inject medications are not designed to be reused, yet that is an additional allegation in the Tulsa dental case.

There is no way to guarantee your dentist is following all the regulations in place to protect your safety. With more than 1,600 licensed dentists in Pennsylvania, the state does not have the money to send inspectors into every office to verify the rules are being followed. For that reason, it's incumbent on you to be observant when visiting any health care facility. The dentist or dental staff member should put on new gloves before working in your mouth. The instruments should be unwrapped in your presence. Plus, don't be afraid to ask about their sterilization procedures.

People want dental care at reasonable rates, but at the same time deserve to be safe when visiting the dentist. Unfortunately, the Tulsa dentist may have felt the cost constraints working within the reimbursement rates dictated by Medicaid and insurance companies and therefore cut corners to save money. Usually, the Pennsylvania State Dental Board learns of a problem with a dental office when a patient files a complaint.